Perdue poised for Trump cabinet?

Is Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump considering Georgia’s junior Senator as part of his cabinet? Maybe.

Because outsiders who are actually insiders band together, or something.

The Hill reports that several Republican senators are among the short list for potential cabinet officers should Donald Trump be elected in November:

One Republican senator said Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who served in chief executive positions at Reebok and Dollar General, would be a strong candidate for secretary of the Commerce Department. Perdue’s 2014 Senate campaign, in which he ran as a business-savvy outsider, served as inspiration to Trump’s White House bid.

Another name circulating is Republican Sen. David Perdue, Trump’s highest-profile surrogate in Georgia and a former Fortune 500 chief executive. The word from the National Journal is that Perdue, who ran for office as a business-savvy outsider, is being considered as a possible Secretary of Commerce.

I understand that, but I think would prefer to hold the reins to an entire agency. There is a lot of talking and not a lot of action in the senate. That’s what is was designed for, but I would think that someone with Perdue’s personality would prefer to be the head of an agency rather than 1 of 100.

No way, pardon the pun, is a cabinet position a step up. Unless it’s Secstate, stay put.

July 28, 2016 3:06 PM

The Eiger

I would take it in a heart beat. An agency head can do more through new regulations or repealing of regulations than any one senator can do in a life time.

July 28, 2016 4:16 PM

Noway2016

Valid point of view. To me, though, it’s a maximum 8 year gig. Of course it might lead to future ambassadorial appointments and the like, but a senate seat could last literally for decades. I think Webster did both FBI and CIA, as did Gates and Panetta with CIA and DOD. Dunno…it would be nice to have that problem, though.

July 28, 2016 4:25 PM

xdog

I’d move up for State or Defense, but Commerce? Bleh. Commerce is a cipher. I think one of the Texan Castros is SecCom now and I think Jack Kemp was too but that’s all I can remember. It’s like Transportation or HHS, a good job for someone who’s a knowledgeable wonk and that’s sure not Perdue. He’ll stay in the Senate until he gets bored or too old or the demographic revolution finally hits Georgia.

If by some miracle he did move on, why wouldn’t Deal name himself to replace him?

July 28, 2016 4:45 PM

Ellynn

Current Sec of Com is Penny Pritzker. Her family is old money Chicago and owns a major commodities trading house. She founded Artemis. Kemp and Castro are HUD.

July 28, 2016 5:13 PM

The Eiger

Your mind set of looking for a long term “job” instead of what you can get done to benefit the country is what is wrong with DC. 🙂

July 28, 2016 4:51 PM

Noway2016

You said it yourself, E. Everyone in DC looks out for themselves with various appointments and the like. Human nature, maybe?

July 28, 2016 4:56 PM

Andrew C. Pope

Senators take cabinet posts when they offer more prestige or notoriety (SecState, SecDef, Treasury, AG).

The last US Senator to serve as Secretary of Commerce was Sinclair Weeks, who served from 1953-1958. He didn’t give up a Senate seat to take the job, however. He was only in the Senate 10 months in 1944, filling in for Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. who resigned his seat in February 1944 to go fight in WWII.

July 28, 2016 4:51 PM

blakeage80

I’d like to go ahead and throw my name in the hat to replace him. I am the consummate outsider. My campaign slogan will be “Blake! Better Than No One”

So… our choice is elect for president an ineffective and questionable know nothing self proclaimed successful businessman and get a better senator chosen by default among party elites OR elect a person chosen by default among party elites and keep a senator who is an ineffective and questionable know nothing self proclaimed successful businessman?

Trumpet has zero military knowledge. He could not even explain the nuclear triad. His only military connection appears to be Mike Flynn so it’s Flynn for DOD.

Hilly has military knowledge but it did not help her as evidenced by her bad decisions concerning Iraq, Libya, Syria. Her DOD person would be John Allen, Michele Flournoy or she would just keep Ash Carter in place.

I don’t really think it’s necessarily “military knowledge” rather than executive experience and policy. Virtually anybody can subscribe or crack open a Jane’s.

On paper, Donald Rumsfeld looked like a very qualified SecDef under Bush II and he is likely the worst in the history of this country. (I’ll even throw in all the Secretaries of War). Cheney was never an officer or SecDef before yet performed very well under H.W. Bush.

As I recall the law (and the example of Paul Coverdell being replaced with Zell Miller), the Governor makes an appointment for a US Senator (Congressmen get special elections). That appointment is good until the next Congressional election, at which there is an election for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Thus, presumably the appointment would be made in January(ish) of 2017, the new appointee would then run (or not) for a special election in 2018, and then there would be another election for a six-year term at the customary time in 2020.